EdenB (Escuela de Entrenamiento Bíblico) – Winnipeg, MB
Proper Title
Escuela de Entrenamiento Bíblico fonds
Dates of Creation
2009–2012
Physical Description
6.5cm of textual records
Administrative History
Escuela de Entrenamiento Bíblico (translated to School of Biblical Training in English, commonly known as EDENB) was a Biblical training institute similar in design and function to SOUL (School of Urban Leadership) but geared to meet a rising demographic in Winnipeg: Spanish-speaking, Latin American immigrants. It was an inter-denominational initiative engaging the Spanish speaking churches in Winnipeg in partnership with World Impact’s TUMI curriculum (The Urban Mission Institute), SOUL, and RGBI (Rio Grande Bible Institute). The idea was spear-headed by SOUL coordinating council veterans such as Fred Stoesz and Andrew Reimer, while also working closely with Latin American pastors and church leaders such as Angel Infantes and Raul Bagoya.
The goals of EdenB were akin to that of its cousin institute SOUL: provide low-cost, time-friendly, accredited Biblical and theological training in Spanish. Classes officially began in October of 2009 and was met with great success. EdenB offered classes very similar to that of SOUL based on the TUMI capstone curriculum: Theology of God the Father, Biblical Interpretation, Focus on Reproduction, Evangelism and Spiritual Warfare, and others. After its first few completed school years, the institute also began to incorporate service partnerships with different ministries across Winnipeg for students.
After the first 8 weeks of classes were completed, there were preliminary discussions about partnering with churches in the city of Brandon to establish a similar school or a smaller satellite location of EdenB to meet the needs of the growing Spanish-speaking community in Brandon. Around this same time, there were also preliminary discussions about a potential merger between SOUL and EdenB, as the two schools conducted classes out of the same building, shared similar resources, used similar and, in some cases, the same curriculum, and some of the individuals who founded SOUL founded EdenB, namely Fred Stoesz. Ultimately, neither of these ideas moved forward.
EdenB is no longer a functioning school, though details on why and when it closed its doors are uncertain.
Scope and Content
This fonds consists of coordinating council and board meeting minutes and correspondence, TUMI curriculum modules (Spanish), course evaluations, grades, and assignments from students during the institution’s years of operation, and newsletters, articles, and reports about the institute’s activities during its tenure. These documents provide a window into the organization’s vision to provide culturally relevant and practical biblical training amidst shifting linguistic demographics in Winnipeg.
Custodial History
Records were transferred to the Centre for MB Studies archives in Winnipeg, Manitoba, in July 2021 after being preliminarily organized in the basement of the former Manitoba MB conference office on 83 Henderson Highway.
Notes
- Location: Volume 1519.
- Described by Liam Bull, August 12, 2021.
- Accession no.: 2021-08.
- Finding aid consists of a description and a file list.
- Some restrictions apply.
- Languages: English and Spanish.
- See also a profile of Fred Stoesz (1952–2013) at https://mbhistory.org/profiles/stoesz/
Series Descriptions
Volume 1519
- Startup documents. Coordinating council meeting minutes, correspondence, TUMI brochures and information pages, FAQ. -- 2009.
- Miscellaneous documents. Meeting minutes, correspondence, certificate templates, sample transcripts, and application templates. -- [200-]–[201-].
- Meeting minutes and correspondence. -- 2009–2010.
- Meeting minutes and correspondence. -- 2011–2012.
- News releases, updates, brochures. -- 2010–[201-].
- TUMI course descriptions. -- 2009.
- EdenB professor course descriptions and lesson plans. -- 2009–2011.
- Course evaluations. -- 2010–2011. Restricted.
- -- [200-]–2012. Restricted.